The news is filled with stories that demonstrate just how costly a lack of supply chain intelligence can be:
• Mattel had to recall almost 1 million toys in 2007 because they contained lead-tainted paint from a supplier in China.
• Nintendo found there was nothing amusing about getting a zero on its conflict minerals report card in 2012.
• Apple’s iPhone lost some of its glitter in 2012 when unfair and unsafe labor practices by suppliers in China were exposed.
These manufacturers had one thing in common: Supply chains are only as sustainable as their worst participants, and at least one supplier in the all-too-real examples above delivered materials or engaged in practices that were deemed dangerous or otherwise unacceptable.
